Hero veteran becomes world’s first double above-knee amputee to scale Everest
A RETIRED British Army soldier has become the world’s first double above-knee amputee to scale Everest.
Hari Budha Magar was a Corporal in the Ghurkha Regiment for 15 years before an IED in Afghanistan took both his legs in 2010.
But that didn’t stop the Nepali national, who grew up in the Himalayas, from achieving his boyhood dream of climbing Earth’s highest mountain.
Hari, 43, screamed “we did it” as he reached the summit on Friday after climbing 25 hours from camp with his world-class team.
He said: “If I can climb to the top of the world then anyone, regardless of their disability, can achieve their dream.
“When things got really tough it was the thought of my amazing family and everyone who's helped me get onto the mountain that pushed me to the top.”
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Hari started planning his challenge in 2018 after overturning a law banning disabled people from attempting to reach the 8,849 metre peak.
He added: “My big goals were simply to change perceptions on disability and to inspire other people to climb their own mountains.
"No matter how big your dreams, no matter how challenging your disability, with the right mindset anything is possible.”
His effort comes 70 years after Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first to stand at the top in May 1953.
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Hari, who is resting before returning to the UK a hero later this week, hopes to raise nearly a million pounds for five veteran charities.
